War Zone – A giant new intercontinental ballistic missile was just one of the many revelations from the remarkably well-produced showcase of authoritarian might.

Naval News – The World’s only operational conventionally powered ballistic missile submarine (SSB) may soon emerge in North Korea. The Romeo-Mod submarine, also known as Sinpo-C, was first revealed on North Korean TV on July 23 2019. It will likely be armed with three Pukguksong-3 missiles which are the hermit kingdom’s best performing. So it will, on paper, pose a serious threat to U.S. and allied targets in the region. But how real is the threat?

– BBC – North Korea has confirmed it test-fired a new type of a ballistic missile, a significant escalation from the short-range tests it has conducted since May.

– BBC – North Korea may have fired a ballistic missile from a submarine, a move that came just hours after Pyongyang said it would resume nuclear talks with the US.

– War Zone – The boat is based on a dated 1950s Soviet design, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a significant development.

– National Interest – Does North Korea have an anti-ship ballistic missile capability?

– National Interest – Could North Korea’s armed forces sink an American aircraft carrier? Yes—depending on what type of carrier they confront, how skillfully U.S. Navy commanders employ the flattop and its consorts, how well North Korean warriors know the tactical surroundings and, most crucially, whom fortune favors in combat.

– USNI News – With tougher United Nations sanctions now restricting the flow of oil to North Korea, the regime is taking more extreme measures to evade international scrutiny, making monitoring regional maritime traffic an even more pressing mission for U.S. intelligence and naval forces.

– BBC – North Korea is on “an aggressive schedule to build and deploy its first operational ballistic missile submarine”, according to an analysis of new satellite images by the expert website 38 North.

– CIMSEC – There are few detailed analyses of whether the Korean People’s Navy (KPN) – the maritime force of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – could employ asymmetric warfare to counter the technological superiority of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and its US allies.

– Reuters – Footage of a North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test released by Pyongyang two days after it announced it had conducted the country’s fourth nuclear test last week was faked, according to an analysis by a California-based think tank.

– Foxtrot Alpha – After what was seemingly a three week march toward war between North and South Korea, which ended in an agreement followed by handshakes, smiles and supposedly a draw-down in both sides war-time footing, one question still remains — where is the majority of North Korea’s submarine fleet?

– Korea Times – Fifty North Korean submarines have left their bases since Saturday, hours before high-level inter-Korea talks took place at the truce village of Panmunjeom the same day.

– BBC – North Korea says it has successfully tested a submarine-launched missile, which if confirmed would be a significant boost in its arsenal.

– USNI News – Recent reports that North Korea is developing submarines based on obsolete Golf-II class Soviet-era submarines has gained worldwide attention. However obsolete, it is reported that North Korea had invested its time in “examining and replicating” the missile-launch system of the Soviet-era subs. Hence, these submarines would be able to fire ballistic missiles. In fact, reports confirm that Pyongyang already is developing a vertical-launch system for submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). Raising further concerns about that is the fact that North Korean ballistic missiles could be armed with nuclear warheads.

– The Diplomat – While North Korean submarines may be technologically dated, its access denial strategy can still be effective.

– AP – Recent satellite images show two new North Korean frigates, the largest surface combat ships the nation’s navy has constructed in a quarter-century.

BBC – North Korea scraps South Korea military safeguard pact

North Korea has announced it will scrap an agreement aimed at preventing accidental naval clashes with South Korea, amid rising tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship.

BBC – ‘North Korean torpedo’ sank South’s navy ship – report

A North Korean submarine’s torpedo sank a South Korean navy ship on 26 March causing the deaths of 46 sailors, an international report has found.

Economist – Their number is up

Evidence that North Korea torpedoed the Cheonan puts it—and China—on the spot.

Esquire – Four Reasons North Korea Won’t Stop Being a Pain in the World’s Ass

Thomas P.M. Barnett writes that this week’s tests were a local propaganda success gone globally awry, and a foreign-policy expert has bad news for us: The totalitarian, war-crime-worthy Pyongyang government and its cult of personality aren’t going away anytime soon — unless, of course, Obama calls Kim Jong-Il’s bluff.

Washington Post – North Korea Threatens Attack on South

North Korea vowed Wednesday to attack South Korea if its ships are searched as part a U.S.-led effort to interdict vessels carrying missiles or weapons of mass destruction. It also declared that the truce that ended the Korean War was no longer valid.

CNN – North Korea has accused the South’s navy of staging a serious provocation that could lead to a maritime conflict.
more…